


of ducks and sketchbooks(maybe some love too)

by kimchijigae_11



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: Childhoodfriends, F/F, Fluff, Neighbors, Yulyen, anddense, butmainlyfluff, childhoodfriendstolovers, izone - Freeform, lightangst, yenaislovestruck, yenyul, yuriispopular
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimchijigae_11/pseuds/kimchijigae_11
Summary: where in yena didn’t expect the young girl she saw through her window to have such a big impact on her lifeor yena just wanted a playmate(or something more?)
Relationships: Choi Yena & Jo Yuri, Choi Yena/Jo Yuri
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	of ducks and sketchbooks(maybe some love too)

**Yena's POV**

**Year 2009**

I still very clearly remember the morning where everything begun. Eomma told me that new neighbours were going to move into the empty house next to us and I was so excited as I expected for a child, a similar age to mine, to be one of them. All day long, I came up with various ways to make friends with whoever was going to be my new neighbour.

Around noon, a big truck parked into the place next to us. I stared inquisitively from my room upstairs as workers unloaded what seemed like endless amounts of furniture into the two-storey house. Distracted by these movements, I failed to notice that the curtains from the window right across from mine had opened. A few minutes later, I lost all hope that there was going to be a kid living next to my house as all I saw were two adults(a man and a woman), who seemed like the house's new owners, instructing the workers where to put the furniture.

I sighed exasperatingly and diverted my gaze to the window across. To my astonishment, I came face-to-face with a pair of brown orbs which were staring at me with wide curious eyes. For a few seconds, we were just staring at each other. The owner of these eyes was a young girl, around my age, with bangs and long hair which fell under her shoulders. I grinned wide as I finally realized that she was one of my new neighbours and waved enthusiastically at her.

As I did that, the girl's face turned into a shade of pink. Tears brimmed the corners of her eyes and she looked like she was about to cry any second. In an instant the girl ran out of the room. I was confused.

"Eh? Why did she ran out?" I scratched my head idiotically.

I looked out of my window at their driveway once again and saw that the little girl from before was hugging the waist of one the adults from before, her mother most likely. I noticed that she glanced at my window and when she saw me, she buried her face in her mom's waist again.

"She's cute" I giggled to myself. I was determined to be friends with her.

For the rest of the day, I tried to think of ways to become friends with her. I even skipped playing with my duck plushies. After what seemed like millions of years, i finally came up with a solution : To go talk to her and ask her to be my friend.

"Mwahaha I'm such a genius" I smiled proudly as I thought of the solution I came to "I should reward myself with some more duck plushies"

Just then my house's bell rung and I heard my mom call me. I quickly ran to the front door and to my pleasure, it was the girl with her mom. Talk about perfect timing. The girl was still shyly hiding behind her mom as our moms were engaging in a conversation.

"Yena-ah" My mom called me "These are our new neightbours, the Jos"

"Nice to meet you Ms.Jo" I greeted politely.

"Omo nice to meet you too Yena-ah" She smiled at me "You're so cute"

I just smile sheepishly before turning my gaze to the girl behind her. Ms.Jo seemed to notice my stare at her daughter and softly tugged her daughter to come forward.

"Yuri-ah say hi to Yena"

The girl looked at me with her cheeks tinted red before looking down at her feet.

"H-Hi" She muttered.

"Yuri is an introverted kid so she gets really shy meeting new people" Ms.Jo explains "I hope the two of you can become great friends"

"I REALLY HOPE SO TOO" I blurted out without thinking. As I said that, I saw that Yuri's face turned into a darker shade of red as the adults laughed at the scene. I scratched my cheek while grinning embarrassly. After the laugher died down, Yuri and her mom bid goodbye to us and returned to their place. I learnt that Yuri was going to attend to my school as well. That fact just motivated me even more to become friends with her.

*****************************

The next morning I woke up extra early and waited for Yuri to come out. After around 30 mins, she finally did. Holding her mom's hand she walked out of the front gate. Excitedly, I ran towards her.

"Yuri-ah Let's go to school together" I jumped up and down.

Yuri flinched at my approach.

"Omo Yena-ah" Ms.Jo patted my head "Can you show Yuri the way to school?"

"Of course trust me! I'm very reliable ma'am" I lifted my head up while crossing my arms.

"Hahah...Okay Yena" Ms.Jo softly pushed Yuri towards me "Go to school with her sweety"

Although hesistant, Yuri nodded and walked ahead, going pass me. I grinned widely and ran after her as well.

*****************************

On the way to school, I kept on staring at Yuri who was walking beside me. I was giggling to myself the whole time. I wanted to strike up a conversation with her. In an attempt to catch her attention, I coughed a couple of times. However, she didn't even spare me a glance. Running out of patience, I asked her a question.

"Hey How old are you?" I smiled friendly.

I waited for a few seconds for her answer but hearing no words come out of her mouth, I pouted as I looked down at my feet while walking. Just then, I heard a soft whisper.

"I-I'm seven"

Not believing my ears, I turned towards her. Did she just speak to me? She answered my question? SHE ANSWERED MY QUESTION!!

I excitedly held her shoulders and shook it back and forth.

"WOAHHH WE'RE THE SAME AGE" I SCREAMED IN EXCITEMENT "WE MIGHT BE IN THE SAME CLASS OMG"

Then I threw my fists up into the air. My victory cheer was interrupted by a chuckle. I looked behind me to see Yuri laughing while holding her stomach.

"Whattttt?" I whined.

"Y-You hahAhaHAha" She laughed even more.

"What is it?" I pouted, sticking my lips out.

"You look l-like a d-d-duck hahAhaHAha"

Her laughter was like a sweet melody to my ears. Seeing her laugh earnestly, I laughed along with her. Before we knew it we had already arrived to school. I showed her the way to the office so that she could know her assigned class and to my disappointment, we were in different classes. The bell rung and I went to my class before solemly sitting on my seat.

*********************************************

It was after school and I decided to wait for Yuri so that we could go back home together. I waited, waited and waited but she didn't come. I grew worried and decided to go look for her.

"Yuri-ahhhh" I shouted. However there was no response. I strolled to the back of the school and there I heard a few voices. I hid behind the wall and sneaked a peek. There, I saw Yuri but she was not alone. She had company. Bad company. Three girls were cornering her,

"New girl" One of the girls smirked smuggly "Why don't you give us your pocket money"

"N-No" Yuri replied. He voice was shaking and her body was trembling. I knew she was scared.

"What did you say?!" The girls approached as they yelled at her.

Seeing that things weren't looking good, I decided to jump in.

"HEYYY" I shouted at the top of my lungs while putting on the scariest face i can "What do you think you are doing?!"

The girls glared at me.

"Who do you think you are to yell at us?" They snared.

"S-Shut up" I was actually very scared as well but tried not to show it "Don't you know bullying is a bad thing?! I will tell the teachers!"

Once they heard the last sentence, their faces changed into ones which looked afraid.

"D-Don't you dare tell the teachers"

They tried to sound menacing but they failed. After giving one last glance to Yuri, the bullies ran away. When they got out of side, I sat down on the ground. MY eyes were getting watery.

"I-I was s-so scaredddd" At last, I let it all out as I wailed out loud.

Yuri just stared at me confusedly. She slowly walked towards me and sat down infront of me. Looking carefully at my crying face, she let out a giggle.

"W-What's so *sniffs* funny?"

"I'm the one who got bullied but you're the one crying" she laughed "Aren't I the one supposed to be scared?"

Question marks appeared above my head. Huh? Only then I came to a realization. Yuri was the one being bullied and I was the one who helped her. OOOOHHHH

"Oh right" I quickly wiped away my tears and tried to erase every evidence of me crying a few seconds before. I then crossed my arms and acted cool.

"Yuri-ah Are you hurt?"

"Stop acting like you weren't crying just a few moments earlier" Yuri flicked my forehead "Also I'm fine so let's go home you dumb duck"

********************************

I walked Yuri to her place as our houses were right next to each other. I bid her farewell before entering my house as well. Happily, I jogged up to my room while humming a cheerful tune. I finally became friends with Yuri. I jumped onto my bed and rolled left and right. Despite this, I felt like I was forgetting something.

"Hmmm" I thought as I looked up the ceiling.....3....2....1...."AAAHHHHHH"

I jumped off the bed. I held my head with both of my hands and ruffled it roughly. I couldn't believe I forgot to do the most important thing.

"I FORGOT TO ASK HER TO BE MY FRIEND" I held my head with both of my hands.

Pacing around my room, I thought of ways to contact her at this hour. I could wait until the next day to ask her but I was not patient anymore.

"Think...think....think...." Just then *ding* a light bulb appeared on top of my head and I thought of an idea.

Quickly, I tore out a piece of paper and a sketchbook. I crumpled the paper into a ball. With all the power a seven-year-old girl can muster up, I pushed my window up and threw the paper ball at the window across from mine. then I waited. After a few seconds, a head popped up from the window. Yuri was staring out at me in confusion.

I mouthed her to wait and held up the sketchbook. On the sketchbook, I had written down a question.

**JO YURI WILL U BE MY FRIEND?**

From her window, Yuri squinted her eyes and scanned the question. Then wondered around her room as if she was finding for something. A couple of minutes later she returned with a sketchbook of her own. She opened the marker and scribbled something on the sketchbook. Then she lifted it up for me to see.

**YES**

And then she smiled at me. The most sincere one she had given me so far. She waved goodbye at me before closing the curtains. However, I was frozen there. I couldn't believe she actually agreed to be my friend.

"OMG OMG AHHHH" I screamed triumphantly.

From then on, Yuri and I became the best of friends. We were like two beans in a pod who couldn't be separated. We did everything together. I even introduced her to my duck plushies and she seemed to love them. "Ducks are adorable" she said. I thought we were going to be like this forever.....but I was wrong. I didn't knew then that some time in the future, our relationship was going to change drastically.

***********************************************

**Year 2015**

The years passed by fast and we were now in middle school. Classes just ended and I packed up before going to Yuri's class which was next to mine. After waiting for a while, she finally came out.

"Let's go home" I smiled at her.

"Sure" she returned my smile "But Yena-ah..."

"Hmm?"

"Can we get ice-cream on the way?🥺"

"Ice-cream?" I asked confused "Joyul you have to sing with your band the day after tomorrow at the school's festival right? I thought you're not supposed to eat sweet stuff"

Over the years, Yuri and I have given each other nicknames as a form of endearment(?). Her's being "Joyul" while mine is obviously "Ducky".

"B-but I've been craving for ice-cream for a long time nowwwww" She pouted and looked at me with puppy dog eyes "Yena pleashhheeee?"

Both she and me knew that I couldn't resist that face of hers. As much I denied it all the time, Yuri had a knack for aegyo. She could pull off the cutest of faces easily. Her originally cute facial structure just doubles the cuteness like urghhh. But I won't tell her those.

"Aigoooo" I sighed exasperatedly as I knew I had no way out of this "Sure sure let's go get ice-cream"

The moment I said that, her face brightened up and she clapped her hands.

"Really??! Yesss!!!" She held my arm and shook it enthusiastically "Agegege my Ducky is the besttt!"

I just shook my head at the sight of the "child" in front of me. Just as I was about to start walking, I felt something come into contact with my cheek. I immediately touched my cheek with my palm as I turned towards Yuri, only to come face-to-face with a wide grin.

"Hehehe" She held my hand and pulled me out of the school.

W-what just h-happened? D-d-did she just k-kissed my cheeks?! I felt my ears start to burn and a blush slowly creeping up my face. I bet I looked like a tomato right now.

Suddenly, Yuri turned around. As if in slow motion, each strand of her hair danced along the wind breezing pass. The corners of lips turned upwards into a mischievous grin.

"Your face is so red ahahaha" She laughed heartily.

"S-shut up" i covered my face with the back of my hand.

She suddenly stopped laughing and stared right into my face.

Thump

Thump

Why is my heart beating fast? Her glamorous brown orbs stared into me as if they were looking right into my soul. My heart kept racing faster and faster.

As if time had stopped, Yuri was all i could see. Seconds went by and Yuri still wasn't moving. Only then I knew she was playing a joke on me.

"Urghhh" I pushed her face aside and walked ahead. I could hear her laughter from behind me.

"Yena-ah wait for me!" She shouted in between her laughters.

I ignored them and went ahead. Choi Yena get a hold of yourself! It's just Yuri. I slapped my face slightly to stop myself from thinking about her face.

****************************

I took a shower and dried my hair before slumping down on my bed. Lazily, I glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

9:15pm

I stared mindlessly at the ceiling while recalling the events from today. I didn't notice it because I was always together with her but Yuri was really pretty. She still had chubby cheeks from when she was young yet her anyone could tell that she was a real beauty from first glance.

I wondered about her brown orbs.........the smell of her perfume.......her smile......her lips. They looked so attractive and soft. How could they feel agains- wAiT WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING ABOUT?! I covered my face with the pillow and screamed into it. I couldn't believe I just thought about k-kissing Joyul.

Just as I was fumbling around my bed, I felt something hit my window. I went towards it and opened the curtain just to see the very girl I was thinking about. She was wearing a oversized black shirt with pajama pants. However, what caught my attention most was the words on the sketchbook she was holding.

**Come watch my band perform?**

She looked nervous with the :] face she always does.

Hah...This girl...what makes her think I wouldn't go watch her perform. I chucked to myself in amusement before taking out my own sketchbook and scribbling words onto it. I held it up.

**OF COURSE U DUMBASS**

She broke out into a wide smile the moment she saw it. She mouthed "goodnight ducky" before closing her curtains. I stood there for a while with a smile of my own plastered on my face. Looking at Yuri's window, I felt something tug at my heart. I slowly lift up my hand and placed it against my chest.

"What is this sensation?" I mumbled.

****************************

It was now the day of the school festival. Being known as the "friendly person" at school, many teachers and students alike requested me to help out at their booths and me being me didn't have the heart to say no.

For the whole day, I was running around the whole school as I helped around as much as I could. I hadn't even seen Yuri all day. We walked to-and-fro school together everyday but today, she left early to practice with her band. Although I had friends all throughout school, I didn't truly enjoy myself with them like when I was with Yuri.

I lied down on the grass and closed my eyes. After working for the whole day, I finally had some time to rest. Just then, something cold came in contact with my forehead.

"Gah" I sat up abruptly. I was about to yell at whoever did that until I realized who the culprit was.

"Hehe Did I scared you?" The voice said.

"Urgh Joyul" I pouted sticking my lips out "What is it?"

She pinched my lips with her fingers and flicked my forehead.

"We haven't seen each other for the whole day and that's the first thing you say?" She dramatically rested her hands on her waist "And here I was worried that you might be tired and even brought you a drink"

"Haha is that so?" I scratched my cheek "I'm sworry please don't be maddd"

Truth is, I missed her a lot too.

"Hmpf" She turned around, facing her back to me.

"Come on.. Please don't be mad anymore" I pulled her cheek "My cutie Joyulll"

She pushed my hands away and pouted even more.

"Hmpf Chit boong"(I'm pretty sure you all know the reference I'm making here XD)

"Ehhh"

Just then, her bandmates came to call her as it was almost showtime. She stood up and glanced at me, still pouting.

"Come watch me perform okay?"

"Hehe" I put out a thumbs up and grinned at her.

******************************************

I tried to push through the crowd of students standing in front of the stage. After much struggle, I reached to a spot where I could clearly see the performers. The MC came onto the stage to announce the final act of the day.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the closing act of the dayyyy!! Our very ownnnn THE HAMSTERS"

The crowd erupted in cheers. I clapped along too. The band made its way onto the stage . In the center was Yuri who was holding the mic. I could tell she was nervous from the way her fingers kept fidgeting. She turned to my direction and gazed at me anxiously.

I gave her a soft smile and mouthed "You can do it". She returned the smile and looked more comfortable then before. And then the music starts.

Plays "It's You" by Henry

The moment Yuri started singing, everyone went quiet. The crowd was waving their hands in sync to support the band. Among all of them, I stood still as I watched Yuri hit each and every note while putting her whole soul into the song.

Just as she was about to sing the chorus, she looked at me and ours eyes made contact.

_You're the right time, at the right moment. You're the sunlight, keeps my heart going~_

Bathump

The feeling was back.

Bathump

My heart started racing faster. I couldn't stop it from skipping a beat. The moment Yuri stared right into my eyes as she sang the song, I felt like I couldn't breathe. It all went by slowly yet fast. Just what was this feeling I get every time I'm with Joyul?

Before I knew it, the performance had already ended and the crowd clapped enthusiastically. From the back, I even heard someone scream "Yuri you're so pretty". I ignored it and went to find the said person.

Once again, I pushed through the crowds and went towards the school building. The building was as crowded as it was outside. After what seemed like centuries, I finally found Yuri.

"Hey Joy-"

I was about to call out to her when I noticed that she had company. In front of her was a guy, who was fairly attractive(according to the girls near me), with a bouquet of roses. I noticed the shy smile on Yuri's face.

"Omg is he going to confess to her?" Students nearby started whispering.

"Yuri-ah Will you go out with me?" The guy said as he handed her the bouquet.

Yuri looked flustered but accepted the flowers nevertheless. In that very moment, I felt something stab my heart. As if someone was clenching tightly on it, my heart ached constantly. My hands started to shook.

The crowd started applauding and congratulating the new couple. I couldn't bear to look any longer. Trying to contain the tears that were threatening to fall, I ran out of the place as fast as I could.

As I was running, all kinds of thoughts consumed me. She's my best friend so aren't I supposed to be happy for her? Why do I feel like my world was falling apart? At last I came to a stop as realization hit me.

.

.

.

.

I liked Yuri. More than as a friend.

*********************************

For the next few days, I avoided Yuri. She seemed to be busy with her boyfriend as well. He even came to fetch her to go to school and sent her back. Looks like I had been replaced.

A week passed by. I was playing games on my bed when a paper ball hit my window. I sighed knowing exactly who it was and went towards it.

Just exactly as I had thought, Yuri was there holding a sketchbook with words scribbled on it.

Come over?

I gave her a small nod before putting on a jacket and leaving my house. I went over to her place and casually into her room as we always went over to each other's places all the time.

"So what is it?" I said nonchalantly as I sat on her bed.

"That's the only thing you have to say after avoiding me for over a week?"

"I wasn't avoiding you..." I looked at the ground.

"Oh so going in the opposite direction when you see me coming and not even texting me a single message is not avoiding me?" She crossed her arms.

"That's not it..." I fidgeted my hands "You just seem so busy with your b-boyfriend"

The word "boyfriend" still didn't feel familiar coming out from my mouth. I still couldn't believe the fact that Yuri already had a boyfriend. That fact just broke me.

"Hmm so that was the problem huh" She walked closer to me and bent forward to look at me in the eyes "If it's about that then I already broke up with him"

"Eh?"

"Imm" She nodded innocently.

"W-Why?" I asked confused.

"Well, it was fun for a while but later on he just got...boring? Like ehh? I don't know I got bored" She said "So yea, we broke up"

"A-Ahh I see"

As if a huge load just got lifted from me, I felt my heart at rest. Yuri was not dating anyone anymore and that fact made me feel oddly happy. Suddenly, Yuri sat beside me and nudged my arm with her elbow.

"Hmm Yenduckie" She smiled mischievously "Don't tell me....Were you jealous?"

"W-what?! Of course not!!"

"Haha okay okay" She giggled " I was just messing with you. No need to get all worked up"

"Hmpf okay"

For the rest of the night, we chatted away and caught up with what happened to each other the past week. The more I spent time with her, the more my feelings for her grew. Most of all, I felt relieved to hear the news that Yuri was now single.... However my feeling of relief didn't last long as Yuri kept on dating and breaking up with guys, and even girls, not lasting with them for more than two weeks.

This was when I started to notice the small changes in Jo Yuri.

*************************************************

**Year 2019**

"Y-Yuri-ah" I said her name seriously.

"Hmm?"

We were literally 3 inches apart from each other's faces. I couldn't hold my feelings in anymore and spilled the words I've been wanting to say for the past who-knows-how-many years.

"I like you"

I could see the shock on her face. She was frozen for a moment before she spoke.

"Yena-ah I-"

Suddenly, something fell on my head.

"ALJHD WHAT THE FU-" I sat up straight on my bed.

"You dumb duck"

I rubbed my eyes and saw Yuri standing in front of me with crossed arms. She was looking at me with a face of disappointment.

"W-what? eh?" I was confused. What happened?

"It's our first day of high school and you overslept?!" Yuri yelled and threw another pillow at me.

"Huh? First day of high school?" I scratched my head.

I looked at the calendar stuck on the wall and only then, reality hit me.

"OH CRAP" I scurried off my bed in a rush and ran towards the bathroom to prepare myself for school.

"Aigooo why are you like this?" She sighed.

"Joyul weut fir ma I'll bwe rweaty in ar but(Joyul wait for me I'll be ready in a bit)" I shouted with a toothbrush in my mouth.

"Yes yes" Yuri replied as she casually sat on my bed.

********************

A few minutes later, I was ready and we went out of my house. With my dyed blonde hair tied up in a ponytail as usual, I unchained my bike and motioned for Yuri to climb on the back. She did so and soon, we were about to speed off to school.

"Hold on tight"

"Will do" Yuri chirped as she held my uniform with her hand.

"Tsk you're gonna fall off if you do that" I took her arms and wrapped them across my waist.

"A-ah right" She mumbled.

"Now" I started pedaling "HIGH SCHOOL HERE WE COME"

"Y-YA SLOW DOWN"

We were riding up a hill. Along them, there were sakura trees in full bloom. The pedals were falling and dancing along with the wind making the scenery look like something that came straight out of an anime.

As for me and Yuri, we were still best friends as usual. However, my feelings for were just like the sakura trees. In full bloom. These feelings of mine grew more and more each day that I was scared I might do something which might break our friendship.

Yuri grew up really well. Her features got more defined although her cute chubby cheeks were still there. She dyed her hair brown and personally, I think that really suited her. Many thoughts flooded my mind. What if she found her "right" person in high school? The thought made my heart ache. If someone were to fall for her, I wouldn't blame them. Yuri was indeed beautiful and had a great personality.

I was so immersed in my thoughts that I didn't realize that we were already at school until the very person I was thinking about nudged me from behind.

"Hey ducky you can slow down now" She tapped my back "We're here"

"O-oh right"

We got off and proceeded to make our way towards the board in school where our name lists were stuck. However, by the time we got there, a crowd was already forming in front of it.

"Ahhya there're already many people" Yuri sighed and looked at me "That's why I told you to wake up early urgh"

"Hahah....Sorry" I scratched my cheek "Joyul wait here. Your knight in shinning armor shall go find for our names"

With all my energy, I squeezed into the crowd all the while trying not to be pushed down. After a few pushes here and there, I finally made it to the front.

"Choi Yena...Jo Yuri...." I mumbled as I searched for our names. Soon, I found them and saw that we were in the same class. I enthusiastically made my way outside the crowd and went towards Yuri to tell her the great news.

However, when I saw her, she was already talking to this guy. He left after a while. I pretended to not have seen anything and approached her.

"So we're in the same class"

Her face lighted up when I said that and she smiled widely, showing off that adorable eye smile of hers.

"Fuck...I'm so whipped" I thought to myself.

"Really?! That's awesome!!" She hugged me "Now we can spend even more time together"

"Yeah..." I noticed a piece of paper in her hand "What's that?"

She glanced at the paper.

"A guy came to talk to me and gave me his number"

Wow school hadn't even started yet and she already had a guy fallen for her. Just wow. I pretended not to be bothered by it and just teased her about it.

"So" I wriggled my eyebrows "Are you going to contact him?"

"Hmm I don't know maybe" Then she grinned mischievously "Does it bother you?"

"W-what n-no"

One thing that never changed about Yuri is her mischievousness. Aigoo this kid is going to be the death of me.

"Haha sureee" She pulled my arm "Now let's go to our class"

****************************

School has already ended and Yuri and I were walking back home, with me dragging my bike along. Just as expected, Yuri was already popular among freshmen as well as seniors. This just added on to my heart ache. We were walking in a comfortable silence when she suddenly broke.

"Yena-ah"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you're my friend"

Friend. That word stabbed me through my chest. Right, I'm just a "friend" to her. I put on a smile although I felt like crying.

"Huh?" I fake chuckled "Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

"Nothing...Just felt like it"

"Haha okay Joyul" I ruffled her hair.

The sun was already setting by the time we got home. We waved each other goodbye before entering our respective homes.

I slumped down onto my bed with a plop. I placed my arm on my forehead and stared at the ceiling. When was I ever going to get over her?

"Face it Choi Yena" I whispered to myself as tears flow down my cheeks "She will never be yours"

That night, I cried myself to sleep. Just like almost every other night.

***********************

In a blink, a whole year passed by and we were now in the second year of high school. From just me and Yuri, our circle of friends greatly grew.

Ahn Yujin and Jang Wonyoung were freshmans, who were childhood friends like me and Yuri and I'm pretty sure both of them have feelings for each other. They just don't admit it.

Kim Minju, Kim Chaewon and Lee Chaeyeon were from the same grade as ours. The former two were dating and were absolute love birds who can't even stay a minute being apart from each other.

Kwon Eunbi and Kang Hyewon were in their last year of high school. Eunbi was the mom of the group.

We also had three Japanese transfer students in our circle : Miyawaki Sakura, Honda Hitomi and Yabuki Nako.

So we now have twelve people in our squad. They are all fun people. Loud and rowdy.However, Yuri and I now have lesser alone time except from when we walked to-and-fro school. I'm not complaining about having a huge circle of friends. I loved spending time with all of us together but I want some time alone with Yuri too you know......

*****************************************************

As any other school days, the corridors were busy. I held my bread, for lunch, in one hand as I made my way my classroom. I was in a good mood as I spent time with Yuri at her place the other day. However, my mood instantly plunged when I heard something very unpleasant.

"Hey hey you know that girl Jo Yuri from the second year yeah?" One guy asked his friend.

"Oh you mean that slut?" The guy replied.

"Yea that one" He laughed "All the guys want to get into her pants"

"I fucking kn-"

Unable to control my anger, I threw my bread at them.

"Yo What the f-"

In an instant, I held the guy by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Me being angry was an understatement. I was fuming.

"How dare you..." I gritted my teeth "How dare you call Yuri a slut??!"

I punched the guy across his face without a second thought. He fell on the ground with a violent thud. I straddled the guy and continued to throw punches at him. How dare he say those things about her? How dare he insult Yuri? How dare he insult my Yuri?

Rage was blinding me and if I could, I wanted to kill both of the guys. I got off the guy and turned to the other guy.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry" He was already trembling in fear.

"SORRY DOESN'T SOLVE ANYTHING" I yelled as I punched him straight in the face.

By then, a crowd was already forming around us. We were interrupted when a teacher pulled me away from the two guys,

"CHOI YENA TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE NOW"

*************************************

It was the end of the day. I spent the rest of the periods in the principal's office. I got a week of suspension for my behaviour while the two guys only had to volunteer 48hours of community service. It was unfair.

I walked out of the room and slammed the door. To my surprise, Yuri was kneeling down against the wall outside the principal's office. I sat down beside her and stared at the sleeping figure. Carefully, I pushed the strands of hair covering her face and smiled.

"Pfft what a hamster" I muttered.

Just then she moved and opened her eyes.

"Oh Yena-ah" She widened her eyes "YOU DUMB DUCK YOU GOT INTO A FIGHT HUH?! WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YOU INJURED? WHY DID YOU PUNCHED THEM"

"Wait wait wait One at a time please"

"Okay" She exhaled loudly and folded her arms "So what happened?"

"Uhh where do I start?" I cleared my throat "Umm as you heard I got into a fight and now tadaaaa a week of suspension"

"A week of what?!" She dropped her jaw.

"Suspension" I smiled widely "Yup"

"Aish...dumbass" She dramatically slapped her forehead and massaged her temples "Why did you even fight them?"

"Ummm"

I didn't want Yuri to know about what those pricks were talking about her. Knowing her, she would get very bothered and sad by their words.

"I'm sorry Yuri-ah....I can't tell you that"

I could see the disappointment of her face. She looked upset. I mean it's understandable why she's like this. We always told each other everything.

"So you can't tell me huh" Yuri picked up her bag "I'm going back first bye"

"W-Wait Joyul" I called out but it was too late. Aishh....I really am a dumb duck.

******************************

It had been three days into my suspension as well as three days since Yuri and I had talked. I was lying on my bed thinking of ways to make up with Yuri when my bedroom door slammed open.

"What t-" Before I could complete my sentence, I felt a body on mine hugging me tightly.

"Yena-ah..." It was Yuri. She had tears running uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Joyul? Why are you crying?"

"I-I'm sorry" She wailed out loud "I heard about it...why you got into a fight with them"

"O-Oh"

She then hit my chest constantly.

"You dumb duck" And she wailed even louder.

I chuckled at the sight. Even though her whole face was covered in tears, she looked really cute like this. Maybe I'm just too whipped for her.

I softly caressed her hair and waited until she finished crying her eyes out. After a couple of minutes she calmed down and looked at me.

"Don't do it again next time okay?"

"Haha okay" I grinned "So do you want ice-cream?"

*********************************

We spent the rest of the day watching TV and catching up with each other. When it's about to get dark, Yuri went back home.

I was sitting on my study desk, thinking about how glad I am that we made up when a crumbled piece of paper hit my window. Knowing well who it was, I looked out.

There was Yuri, as usual, holding a sketchbook.

**Thank You for what you did**

And then she smiled. The very smile that never failed to make my heart race.

**********************************

It was a Friday evening. I packed my things up and went out of the school. It was getting pretty late with the clock strucking 6. Yuri had band practice today so I was going back home alone today.

Paddling my bike against the cold winter breeze, I enjoyed the wind blowing softly against my face. After a few minutes, I came across the playground where Yuri and I played together at when we were kids. I stopped my bike and approached the swing.

Sitting down, I looked around the place. As if it was yesterday, I vividly remember how me and Yuri would spend the whole day playing here. In the middle of the playground was a slide where Yuri once strained her ankle and I had to do duck imitations to stop her from crying.

I chuckled at the memory. Just then, a voice interrupted me.

"Mind if I sit?"

I turned around and saw the girl who occupied my heart and mind at all times.

"S-Sure"

With a huff, Yuri sat down on the swing next to me. There was a comfortable silence. Yuri and I had the kind of relationship where we understood each other even without words. Except that....she'll never know of my feelings for her...I hope.

"So" I broke the silence "How was practice?"

"Hmm it was okay" Yuri replied nonchalantly while rocking her swing gently back and forth.

"Ahh"

"Yena-ah" She looked up at the sky "What if one day we are no longer friends?"

Her question caught me off-guard. Does this mean she's getting sick of me? Does she no longer want to be friends with me?

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean what I mean" She turned and looked at me seriously.

"U-Uhh" I stuttered before composing myself, staring at her with the same intensity "If that day comes then, I wouldn't be able to cope with life. Yuri-ah you have always been in my life and I can't imagine my life without you. Whether you want it or not, I'll continue to be your Yenduckie even if many years pass by... You matter to me more than anything or anyone else"

I ended my speech with a smile. I could see some tears brinking in the corner of her eyes. She exhaled loudly.

"Aishhh I just asked a question and you're making me feel emotional you dumb duck" Yuri hit my arm repeatedly. I giggled while muttering a couple of sorrys.

Suddenly she stood up.

"Let's go play like old times" She grinned while holding out her hand at me.

"P-Play?" I laughed "What are you?Five?"

"Urghh Come onnnnnnn" She started whining "Yena-ahhhhhh"

She knew I couldn't resist her. I took her hand and jumped up.

"Sure sure whatever you say ma'lady"

That day, we played and had fun until we were worn out like we did when we were kids. Sliding down the slide and riding on the see-saw, it was as if we went back to years ago when we first met. Only our laughters and shouts filled the playground.

Yuri looked the prettiest when she smiled and I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that smile.

It was already almost 8 when we finished fooling around. As per usual, I walked Yuri home first before going into my house.

"Bye Joyul" I waved at her "Sleep well"

"Good night" She replied but she wasn't moving from where she was standing in front of me.

Suddenly, she moved forward and quickly placed a kiss on my cheek. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Before I could register what happened, Yuri already ran back into her house.

I touched the place where she kissed and felt my ears heating up. She kissed me. Yuri kissed me. OH MY GOD SHE KISSED ME. Although it was just a kiss on the cheek, it still meant everything to me.

That day, I went back home giddly with the butterflies in my stomach being as wild as ever.

*****************************************************

Before we knew it, our high school life was over and it was graduation. Sitting together with our group of friends and all other graduates in the stadium to receive our certificates, I waited nervously. I couldn't believe that the day where I would graduate from high school was finally here.

I fidgeted my hands together, hoping it would calm down my feeling of anxiousness. Just then, I felt a hand on mine. It was Yuri. She probably noticed me panicking and did that to help me calm down. Little did she know that just made my heart beat a ton lot faster.

*************

The graduation was finally over and we were now taking commemorative pictures with our families and friends. I stood in between my parents and brother as I smiled cheerfully at the camera. I could see that they felt proud of me.

After taking pictures with my family, I looked around trying to spot a certain brunette in midst of the crowd. Finally I saw her talking and laughing with Hitomi. I approached them with a grin.

"Oh Yena-ah Let's take a picture" Yuri pulled me closer to her.

"O-Oh okay"

"Both of you look here" Hitomi signaled.

Click

She wrapped both of her arms around me as she leaned on my shoulder. As for me, I wasn't prepared for the picture yet and I admit, I was half-gay panicking.

*****************************************

**Year 2022**

**Neun naui violeta~**

My phone rang in the middle of the night disturbing me of my sleep.

Without opening my eyes, I reached out for my phone.

"Who's calling me in the middle of the night?" I muttered to myself.

"Hello" I picked up the phone and was greeted by loud disco music.

"Yena-ahhhh" It was Hyewon "We need help"

"Wtf Hyewon" I glanced at the clock "What do you need me for at 2am?!" I had morning classes the next day.

"It's Yuri" That woke me up instantly.

"What? What happened to her?" I half-yelled.

"Well.....Long story short, we went to a club together and well....she's dead drunk and making out with a random hot stranger"

That stinged my heart as if something pierced through it. I swallowed my pain as much as I could.

"Text me the address I'll be there in a few"

*************************************

Wearing my black hoodie and shorts, I made my way into the club. As expected, there were drunk people everywhere. Ignoring the loud music and strong stench of alcohol, I pushed through the crowd in search of Yuri.

Soon enough, I found her passed out on a chair.

"Aish this girl" I shook her "Yuri-ah Let's go home"

Seeing no response, I sighed and with all the power I could muster, I carried her on my back and went out of the noisy place. Fortunately, our houses were near the club. We were now in college and just as I expected, Yuri became a party animal.

Both Yuri and my parents were on business trips so I brought Yuri back to my place. With much struggle, I piggybacked Yuri up the stairs and cautiously laid her on my bed.

"Ahyayaya I back" I groaned "My age is really catching up with me aigoo"

I took off her jacket and put a blanket over her. She snuggled into the blanket and the sight made me go all soft. She's such an adorable drunk. However, the imagination of Yuri kissing someone else made my heart ache.

"Jo Yuri.....You're driving me crazy..." I whispered and left the room to go sleep on the couch.

***************************************

The next morning, I woke up early and made kimchijigae for Yuri as I figured she would be having a massive hangover. I was cutting the tofu when I felt arms wrap around my waist.

"Oh you're awake?" I asked "You might want to sleep a bit more"

"Immhmm" She snuggled into the back of my neck. I could feel my ears turning red.

"J-Joyul? You should wait for me at the table. I'll bring the soup over when it's done"

"Okay..."

I felt her arms unwrap from around me and I missed her warmth at the very instant. Turning off the gas, I moved the hot soup carefully onto the table and placed it in front of Yuri.

"Be careful it's hot"

She picked up her spoon and slowly sipped the soup. With her eyes barely open, she yawned every once in a while. I chuckled at the sight and smiled lovingly.

*************************

We skipped all our classes the whole day and cuddled on the couch as we watched Netflix. It was almost 6pm when a ting came from Yuri's phone. She opened the text.

"Who is it?"

"Gyuri"

"Gyuri?" I furrowed my brows "Who's that?"

"The one I made out with last night" She answered without looking up from her phone "She asked if I want to grab dinner with her"

My heart clenched at that.

"Don't go"

A sudden wave of courage came over me. I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What?" She looked at me.

"Don't go" I stared at her "Don't go Jo Yuri"

She sensed the seriousness in me and turned her whole body to face me.

"And why is it that Choi Yena?"

I flinched. I knew I was going to regret whatever I'm about to say now.

"That's because" I hesistated " I like you"

"What?"

"I like you....more than as a friend."

Then it was silence. Seeing her calm face, I continued.

"I like you...Wait no.. I love you Yuri-ah. I had always loved you. Ever since a long long time ago. I don't know when it started but along the way I just fell for you. There's just something about you that captivates me. Throught all these years, I tried to get over you but it's not working. Instead I just fell even deeper. So I just want to let you know that I , Choi Yena, loves you, Jo Yuri"

The moment I ended my long confession, I felt a load lift off me. A heavy load which I buried deep in me for years. Scared of her reaction, I didn't look up.

"Yena-ah" She said "I-"

"Wait I know you don't feel the same so you don't need to feel bad about it. I'm ready to get rejec-"

I was interrupted when she held my cheeks with both of her hands and placed a lasting kiss on my lips. What? I was caught offguard.

"Does this answer your question?" She smiled at me. I was totally flustered.

"I-I-I d-did you j-just k-k-kissed me?!" I widened my eyes in shock.

"Yes I did you dumb duck" She flicked my forehead "Urghhh I've been waiting for you to confess for a long time now and thank god you did"

She pulled her hair dramatically.

"What?" I was totally confused "So how about that Gyuri and many others that you hooked up with?"

"Aishh are you really that dumb?" She questioned as she lifted her eyebrow "Those are nothing okay? Nothing. I jsut hooked up with them so that I could forget about you. I love you Yena. And only you."

I couldn't believe it. Yuri loves me. Shit. It was like a dream come true.

"AHHHHH" I screamed out loud "OH MY GOD YOU LOVE ME TOO"

I leaped on her lap and hugged her tightly.

"Y-Yena I c-can't breathe"

"Oh oh sorry hehe" I scratched my cheek. She laughed at my antics.

I leaned forward and placed my lips on hers. Our lips molded with one another, as we relayed unspoken words of many years through our action. I pulled her closer as I placed my hand at the back of her neck.

Our kiss escalated quickly as she licked my bottom lip, asking for permission to enter. I opened my mouth slightly and felt her tongue slip in. From where we are sitting, I stoop up and lifted her. Her legs wrapped firmly around my waist as we continued to make out.

Without breaking the kiss, I made way to my bedroom and slammed the door shut behind me.

******************************

A week since all that happened, it was holidays. We went on a movie date and then had a walk in a park, hand-in-hand. At the end of the day, I walked her back home like old times.

When we arrived, I walked her home first like old times and bid her goodbye. She tiptoed and pecked my lips.

"Good night I love you"

"Love you too"

I made sure she was safely back into her house before going into mine.

As soon as I got into my bedroom, I laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Ahh how time had passed.... Yuri is finally my girlfriend..."

I was smiling happily to myself when a certain thought hit me.

"Wait....I HAVEN'T OFFICIALLY ASKED HER TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND YET"

I quickly jumped off my bed as I scurried through my old desk.

"Man....what kind of dejavu is this"

After a few minutes I finally found my sketchbook. As fast as I could, I wrote words on it before picking up of a piece of paper and crumbled it.

Opening my window, I saw that Yuri was already in her room. With all my power, I threw the paper at her window in hopes that she would notice me.

Luckily she did and approached the window.

"What is it?" She mouthed.

Grinning wildly, I lifted the sketchbook.

**JO YURI WILL YOU BE MY GIRLFRIEND?**

I waited in anticipation although I already knew the answer. Yuri chuckled and motioned me to wait.

When she came back, she had her sketchbook in hand. She scribbled on it and lifted it up for me to see.

**YES YOU DUMB DUCK**

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time posting in archives of our own. i wrote this one shot a while back on wttpad and aff. pls feel free to check out my other stories on aff or wttpad. my aff acc is @jet33564 while wttpad is @kimchijigae_65. thank you very much for reading^^


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